Sweet Strain
by saiki.kensuke.yuuta
Summary: There is time for change, but once the clock starts, there's no knowing and there is no turning back. All they can do is make the best of it, and hope they're right. [A ChaudxLan EnzanxNetto pairing. Reviews are appreciated.]
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I've truly been on a writer's flyaway period recently, and have been neglecting some important projects. As promised, here is a new story. Some of you all have been waiting for this pairing. This'll probably be long so…be scared! And prepared!

**I would really appreciate feedback and reviews.** Be as harsh or as gentle as you'd like. Flames are also acceptable as long as they are constructive and have some kind of basis and truth to them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman NT Warrior or the characters.

Warnings: Fluff, shounen-ai, deaths (as for major ones…we'll see as we go. Not sure yet.)

Pairing: Chaud (Enzan)xLan (Netto). For this fic, they will be called Chaud and Lan.

Fic Note: People have seem to forgotten this pairing, I just want to add this fic up for the sake of it. Oneshot. Everyone is a bit ooc and scene is a bit AU.

Special Dedications:**To all the people who reviewed my "Only Beautiful."** You thought that was a fun ride, let's try something a bit more planned out. That one was about a half an hour exercise. This is something special.

**To Comtess**-You know why. Stay beautiful. (Hard to do when you beta for me all the time, eh? Hahaha.)

Final Note: The real fun begins Ch. 1. This is just background to set the mood for the story. Please bear with.

**Sweet Strain**

**Prologue**

Both teens find themselves heavily breathing, running a dizzy maze of seemingly endless spirals of brick wall after brick wall. Chaud, in particular, feels sick from seeing all the brick. In the back of his mind, he makes a mental note to himself to move to the countryside or someplace different after this particular mission. He continues to give chase. He will not let this person escape-not even if his life depended on it. He had dedicated too many years to this mission to let the kingpin, of all people, go. By chance and dumb luck he had stumbled upon the younger teen, and to his surprise it had been a young teen hidden under hooded garments.

The younger halts suddenly. Skillfully, Chaud dodges as soon as he sees the other boy turn swiftly aiming straight for his face without much hesitation between beats. The bullets ring out, Chaud barely escaping the wrath of the hooded figure's rapid fire. A bullet scrapes his cheek, but Chaud's has too high an adrenaline level to feel much more than a mere sting. Chaud hides behind some trashcans and fires a couple shots before hearing the other boy's gruff voice curse and toss the large gun on the ground. Chaud smirked. The boy must have run out of bullets after all this chasing. It wouldn't be long now.

Gun abandoned, the younger lad takes off once again, Chaud in tight pursuit. He will find out the identity of this master criminal. The two boys rush off into the night, never once taunting or speaking to one another-rather, each have a mission to either escape or capture the other, simple as that and no gray area in between.

After what seems like hours of running, the hooded figure makes a fatal turn. The two end up at a dead end with a very high brick wall that the hooded figure could never manage to climb over. Chaud could, given some time-with the help of advanced resources.

The hooded figure jumps onto a pile of crates and seems to look around helplessly for an exit; he freezes his movements only when he hears the smug click of Chaud's revolver.

Heavy breathing, slightly shaking hands holding up a gun to the head of his target. "Freeze! Show your face, you coward!"

Chaud takes a sharp intake of breath in anticipation as he waits. The hooded figure hunches over slightly and laughs a dry laugh before slowly turning, taking off the dark poncho. Chaud knew whom to expect, and yet, he still didn't want to believe it. He felt his jaw drop as he became face to face with the kingpin of the Net Trojans.

Eyes slightly widened in shock. "You…"

* * *

_"Lord Chaud…there is someone who wishes to see you…"_

"I wish to see no one," Chaud snapped, he was busy working on a recent project for his business.

"Lord Chaud…" Protoman repeated as respectfully as possible, "This matter seems a bit important, and needs your atten-"

"Did I just not say that I wish to see no one?" Chaud snapped.

Protoman paused for a moment and watched Chaud work, from his position in the PET holder on Chaud's work desk. After a few moments, when he was sure Chaud had forgotten his earlier comment, tried again. "Lord Chaud…"

"What! What, what, what!" Chaud responded, exasperated. He looked away from his computer and shot a frustrated glance at Protoman.

On any other day, Protoman would have taken a personal sadistic amusement from his master suffering from procrastination; however, today did not seem to be the right time for that particular mood. "Lord Chaud…if I may…now that I have your attention…it's that young master Lan…"

Now Protoman had his net-op's full attention. Chaud raised an eyebrow. "Lan? What is it? What does he need?"

Again, any other day Protoman would have either become rather amused at the fact that his net-op was at the poor clueless Hikari's mercy, or he would have teased his master about the situation. Once again, the matters were too pressing and left no room for such jest. "Well…?" Chaud pressed impatiently, now curious, "What is it?"

"Erm…it appears the young master is very upset and wishes to see you right away…"

A momentary pause. Protoman sighed and immediately commanded the PET to do a temporary mute function of any outer worldly sounds as he watched his master's mouth move, face sculpted to show anger. He didn't need to hear to know the words by heart.

"Well then why didn't you just send him in! How many times do I have to tell you, Lan can come in any time he wants!" During this time, Protoman simply just sighed and nodded, tapping his foot slightly and waiting for the small storm to pass over.

Protoman took off the mute command and gave his reply, "On a usual basis, the young master is not in tears. And on the usual basis, his visits normally mean that you tend not to get your work completed, and hence-you become busy like so…"

Chaud growled angrily. "Enough! I don't have time for your lectures. If he's crying, grant him access already!"

Protoman blinked. It was unusual for Chaud to lose his composure so easily. Perhaps it was the stress. "As you command…"

It took only a blink second. One minute there was some sort of peace, the next minute, Lan was crying a waterfall at Chaud's feet, Chaud consoling the poor boy all the while. Lan, not being a very good speaker during tearful moments, could offer Chaud no more than confusing blurbs of information for him to decipher. Protoman rolled his eyes as his master gave him a look of helplessness.

Protoman decided now was the time to fish for answers. He jacked into Megaman's PET, only to find a very depressed navi. Protoman walked over to Megaman's side. Unsure whether to shake the dazed navi or not, Protoman decided to leave Lan's navi alone. Awkward silence was between them only a moment before Protoman was surprised with the tearful eyes of a normally strong and optimistic navi. Protoman found himself frowning in concern. "Is there something the matter…?"

Megaman opened his mouth to speak, unfortunately letting out a hiccup. The navi shook a bit and Protoman put a hand to the shorter navi's shoulder to steady him. "Have some self control, Megaman. What has happened?"

Megaman sighed and leaned against the wall of his PET room, looking into Protoman's eyes through the taller navi's dark shades. "I-it's h-horrible, Protoman…"

"What! What is it!" Protoman blushed slightly at his outburst, but now he was beyond impatient, "If neither of you state a problem, neither my master nor I can provide a remedy!"

"It's Dr. Hikari…Protoman…"

Protoman raised an eyebrow. "Your father?"

Megaman nodded slowly. Protoman felt a bit uneasy, and he felt a strange dropping feeling in his stomach. "So…what seems to be the problem?"

Megaman gave his reply. Protoman and Chaud's eyes simultaneously widened in shock as the sobs of Lan began to soar beyond painful.

* * *

_"Yes, Mrs. Hikari, Lan is right here with me. Yes. Yes, ma'am-he will be spending the night here. Yes ma'am. If you can remember anything else in the morning, please have the information sent to me right away. Yes. Yes, Lan will be coming home at a later time."_

Chaud sighed as he twirled his pen with his left hand, staring at a passed out Lan on his bed in his home. The glare of his home computer and his PET made him seem even more worn out than he already was. Staring at Lan a moment longer, Chaud then returned his attention to Protoman. "It seems we have a new mission."

"Yes…" came the equally tired and business-like reply.

Chaud sighed. Taking the PET out of its holder, he turned it so it would point to the computer. "Jack in then, Protoman-execute."

Protoman beamed into the network. "What shall I do first, Chaud?"

"Assemble notices and forms. We have investigation work to do. Our pre-reasearch and Mrs. Hikari have informed us that Dr. Hikari was not the only one taken in the SciLab infiltration. There are others."

"Yes."

"After that, we must assemble our search and recovery team. We disassembled our last team after a different net mission, did we not?"

"We did."

"Well, it's time to start recruiting again."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Email them all and make sure they are all ready by tomorrow, nine in the morning sharp. Stragglers will be dealt with. Tell them they will be reporting as part of the Blaze Quest Search & Rescue Team division for the next few months or so, depending on how long it takes to recover all those taken."

"Very well, master."

"Do we know our target?"

"Yes, master. They call themselves the Net Trojans."

"Hn…Net Trojans…I will remember that."

* * *

"Chaud!" Lan burst into the room, catching Chaud off-guard. 

Chaud jumped and swirled around, trying to hide all the recent data. "Y-yes, Lan. What is it?"

"Have you found-" Lan looked over Chaud's shoulder, and paled.

Chaud felt a bit uneasy. He tried to catch Lan's eye. "Lan…? Lan…are you all right?"

Catching Chaud by surprise, Lan pounced on the taller boy and shoved him roughly away from the long black table. The brunette seemed to get more and more pale as he leafed through the Polaroid's carelessly sprawled about the table. They were pictures of scientists from SciLab, some of which Lan recognized as his father's coworkers. There were pictures of gunshot wounds, bruises, and cuts. Most of the men in the photo appeared to be dead. There were others where the photo merely only showed injury.

Lan lifted one of the photos and put it to Chaud's face, his hands shaking slightly. "C-chaud…" Lan whispered weakly, "What's all…what's all this?"

Chaud's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish; he was speechless. "I…Lan…Hey! Lan, wait!"

Too late. Lan had stormed out of the room too quickly, riding his roller skates. Chaud cursed under his breath as he did his best to keep up with the boy, but failed. Cursing some more, he went back up to the top floor to grab his things and PET from his office. He left final instructions for his "Blaze SRT" before heading over to Lan's house.

By the time Chaud would get there, however, Lan would have already gone.

* * *

If things hadn't gotten so busy for Blaze SRT, Chaud would have dropped everything to search for Lan immediately, but he didn't have the time. Chaud figured Lan was probably hiding out at one of his friends' homes, and they just weren't telling Chaud where he was located. After all, they had had some pretty rough times in the past, so Chaud wasn't too worried. At least, he pretended he wasn't. 

Four years flew by, however, without much time for Chaud to breathe in between. Four years into the mission, and Blaze SRT had finally accomplished something. They captured the head kingpin of the Net Trojans, and recovered many of the last remaining scientists-including Dr. Hikari, alive. Most of the Net Trojans had also been taken into custody at this time.

However, the battle was far from over. After a few frustrating interviews, Chaud managed to gather some valuable information from the ex-leader. The syndicate had begun with that same-old, same-old unoriginal notion to take over the world. The senseless killing was a result of scientists that had tried to escape or had refused an order from the leader of the syndicate. The last thing the leader had said, however, remained on Chaud's mind. There was one group of elite that Chaud's team had not managed to capture. The most terrorizing of the Net Trojans. The Trojan Elite. The ex-leader had also smugly not failed to mention that he had foreseen his own capture, and therefore he had already promoted a back-up captain in case such a problem arose.

Chaud would have one more mission. Capture the final team. Thankfully, now he had the best resource available-Dr. Hikari.

The Net Trojans used one main form of terrorism-net viruses. Dr. Hikari's main interest was to capture and analyze each "Trojan." Even after the traumatic events, Chaud was amazed at Dr. Hikari's dedication. Sadly, it almost reminded him of Lan.

During the virus analysis, however, Dr. Hikari made a startling discovery about the viruses. In each viruses data, included was a signature of the creator from navi data.

A very unique signature.

* * *

The dark clouds hanging overhead suddenly break and begin pouring out their rain. Lightening and thunder crash and clash. Still, both teens find that they are too engrossed in their own world to care. Where they are, everything is going slow motion. 

The poncho falls to the ground. Badump. Chaud rakes his eyes up and down the other boy's body, assessing his target. Green bandana, army outfit, green paint streaked across the lanky boy's face, starting to wash off in the rain. Badump-badump. The gun falls with a light thump to the ground, drowned out by the thunder.

Mouth opened in shock, blinking every-so-often to get rid of the rain from his vision. Chaud stares at the figure before him in disbelief. The kingpin of the Net Trojans.

Chaud shakes his head. "Why…?"

The other teen only shrugs. They stay just like that, frozen in time a while, until sunlight breaks through a bit through the clouds-it's morning. They've been running all night long. Chaud moves closer to the other teen as the rain begins to end.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

Well…? How did you like that? Read and review please! After this, it's going to be more ChaudxLan centric from now on. See you all again-real soon! This chapter was done in 3 hours…crazy. 5 ½ page prologue. Who does that? Haha, me, apparently.

-Saikenyuu


	2. Rewind: A Moment Back in Time

Author's Note: From this point on, the story _will _have plot, for those that like to read with plot-but the story will mostly center on Chaud and Lan's interactions a bit more. Most of the general plot was placed in the prologue.

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: A little violence, angst, and possibly minor fluff.

Fic Note: Little more ooc characters here on out. I don't think the T.V. series expanded well on their personalities besides the basics…so at some points, I'll just be developing what I think each character's personality would have molded into based on their basic personality and then considering the changes each had to endure, what the final products will be.

I hope you enjoy this!

**Rewind: A Moment Back in Time**

_Chaud knocked on the door. "Yes, please come in…" came back the muffled reply._

_Chaud opened the door, and stepped inside the laboratory. "Dr. Hikari?"_

_The scientist in the center of the room turned and greeted Chaud with a tired smile. "How are you?"_

"_Fine."_

_Dr. Hikari nodded absently for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Ah! Yes…Chaud…there is something I would like you to examine with me."_

_Chaud was at full attention. "Yes, sir. What is it?" he moved over to where the scientist was._

_Dr. Hikari and Chaud walked over to the large supercomputer that Dr. Hikari had been using to examine some data. On the big screen, flashed the map of one of the captured viruses. Chaud looked up at the huge screen carefully. Dr. Hikari zoomed into one area of the image. "Notice…" Chaud jumped slightly, startled a moment at Dr. Hikari's voice and stared intently at the image._

"_Notice that this is a very complicated virus." Chaud nodded in agreement. "Yes, though we've captured the original kingpin and most of the Net Trojan team, there is apparently a special sector we didn't know about and…failed to capture…and their viruses seem to have gotten a lot stronger."_

_Dr. Hikari nodded in agreement. "Yes, and I found that very strange. I didn't see why all of a sudden they would plug out their strongest viruses when a good chunk of their team is gone…unless it was a blatant mutiny. This I highly doubt."_

_Chaud grunted. Dr. Hikari sighed, and zoomed into a corner of the large picture again. "Now look at this. Each virus…has a signature, like with the old viruses. It holds the signature of its creator, you see?"_

_Chaud nodded. "Yes, each virus has its unique signature because every member of the syndicate would make their own viruses."_

_Dr. Hikari half-smiled. "And because there had been so many, systems were flooded with all sorts of different viruses. Some weaker than the others, depending on the creators experience." He zoomed the picture again, now the large screen was showing only a large symbol spinning around on the otherwise black screen._

"_But these latest viruses…are all from the same creator. Same signature."_

_Chaud looked up at the screen in observation. Dr. Hikari looked at him and sighed. "Don't you see it? Doesn't it strike a chord in you?"_

_Chaud crinkled his nose and frowned. "What do you mean, sir?"_

"_Look closely at it. What does that symbol remind you of?"_

"…"

"_Any thoughts?"_

"_!" Chaud's eyes widened slightly in disbelief, "Yes…I do remember that symbol! Are you honestly saying that…"_

_Dr. Hikari clapped Chaud's shoulder and flashed him a grim expression. "Well, Chaud. Looks like I've found you Blaze SRT's final target."  
_

_

* * *

_

"_There they are! SRT Troops, find them and capture them so we can take them back to base! Move, move, move!" Chaud shouted._

_The enemy was armed. Unlike the rest of the currently captured team, this sector may not have had many numbers, but what they didn't have in numbers, they made up for in firepower. Bullets sprayed about like rain, killing several Blaze SRT officers._

"_Damnit!" Chaud shot a couple of the enemy dead, but for the most part was saving his bullets. "Call reinforcements!"_

_Normally, he would have made sure these people were taken alive, but they weren't leaving him or his team much choice. A gunshot pegged a nearby officer through the stomach. The man fell down, writhing in pain. "Oh! O-God!" The specialized emergency sector of SRT went around collecting the wounded._

_This was ridiculous. It was no wonder the other Trojans had been caught so easily. Most of them were older males past their thirties, but these boys were either in their early twenties or merely teenagers. It took all the self-control Chaud had not to throw up, seeing young lives being taken-their blank eyes staring up into the sky, mouths agape in a silent plea._

_Reinforcements came. The numbers of the opposing side seemed to be diminishing, and several were already being captured. In a moment of panic, blood, and chaos-Chaud spotted him. The only hooded figure, observing the whole scene casually from a wall. Though he couldn't see the figure's face, he knew their eyes had connected, somehow. Chaud blinked once, and the figure disappeared. He ran in frantic search. "Men! Stand your ground! I've found the kingpin! Keep at your original orders until every last one is under our custody! I'm going after their leader!"_

_Chaud spotted a dark figure flowing around a corner of a building. The chase began.  
_

_

* * *

_

The young brunette, dressed in his street-style garb, only looks at Chaud with disinterest. Chaud shakes his head as he climbs up the crates and comes face to face with his target.

"Lan…why?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Now…do all of you want this to go in a happy direction? Sad direction? A bit of both? You guys want more plot or more pairing? Leave a review with your opinions if you wish. I will take all suggestions into consideration in the making of this story. I want to see what's popular amongst you all. Let me know what you want to see.**

**-Saikenyuu**


	3. Diverged Soul

Author's Note: Haha, thanks **to all my enthusiastic readers** who ask questions. **You make my day.** I'm getting there, don't worry-I just type slow…MEGA slow…

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: A little violence, angst, and possibly minor fluff.

Fic Note: Questions may or may not get answered here. Depends how my brain decides to roll. Contrary to what the reader may believe, I do not plan this-I write whatever comes to my mind and then I let it out. So blame my muse for the pace. Haha.

This Chapter is Dedicated To: **The wonderful and enthusiastic first 7 reviewers of this fic. You know who you are. I am highly appreciative of your enthusiasm and as a result, I am inspired to continue working on this fic.**

Without you guys, I probably would've dropped this project. As with my other projects, I'm usually not satisfied with the initial stuff…period. But? As long as the audience enjoys it, I'm happy.

**Diverged Soul**

"_Lan…why are you fighting on the side of the Trojans?"_

A fixed stare. Chaud frowned in disapproval. "Lan! I asked you a question. I need an answer from you."

Lan burst out laughing. His head tucked in towards his chest, as he bent over and shook with laughter. Chaud became furious. "I don't see how you can laugh, Hikari! This isn't a very laughable situation!"

"Ah…" Lan got up slowly, recovering from his fits of laughter. "Tell me, Chaud. Was I really always like that?"

Chaud gave Lan a look of confusion. "What…?"

Lan casually leaned back on the wall, putting his hands in his pockets, looking up at Chaud-amused. "Did I always submit and take your orders so readily when we were little kids?"

Chaud blinked. First of all, Lan's sudden knowledge of vocabulary was shocking and unexpected. Secondly, he felt a bit uneasy with this Lan-he had no authority over him at the moment other than by legal means. "You…"

Lan half-smiled. "I really did, didn't I. Hah. I must've looked _damn pathetic_."

"…"

"Well, let me tell you something, Chaud. I don't answer to you anymore. What I've been doing all this time is my own business."

"Is it because of your father?"

Lan glared at him. "I have news for you, Lan. Your father is alive. He's at home, waiting for you to come back."

"Don't lie to me!"

Chaud frowned. "Why would I lie to you? I'm not one to make jokes or lies about something like that. You should know better."

Lan snorted. "Yeah, I do. Which is why I say you're lying."

Chaud felt hurt. "Lan…"

Lan gave him an icy glare. "I've been in this maverick business far too long not to have figured it out by now. With your lies, I believed every word. Now I know the reason. You wanted me to believe, to have faith. Always to have something to smile about…"

Chaud flinched. Though this was not entirely true, there were many times-perhaps a little _too _many, where Chaud had tried sweetening or hiding the truth from Lan to keep him from getting too upset. He had done it for the brunette's own good, however, and not for his personal benefit. Though Lan seemed pretty set on his explanation.

Chaud cleared his throat. "Yes…I admit that sometimes I did that, but I did not always hide truths from you. The times I did, I had a very good reason for. But listen to me, Lan, I do not lie about people's lives. Your father is-"

"I'm done listening to you!" Lan exploded and tackled Chaud down unexpectedly, infuriated. Chaud failed to respond immediately due to the sudden impact of his head on the ground.

Chaud fought back forcefully as he felt strong hands at his throat. Chaud was slightly surprised. Yes, he realized Lan had recently been living a rough life, but Chaud had never expected Lan to be so skilled at anything close to murder. Lan had always been the one most opposed to violence, and only cross-fused with his navi when it was _absolutely necessary_. This, as far as Chaud knew, was pure insanity at his throat.

Lan grabbed tightly at Chaud's neck, demeanor transformed. The person he was seeing in front of him was not Chaud-it was all of the callous faces he had encountered these past years. He was letting out his pent up rage.

Of course, not about to die, Chaud reached for his second gun at his belt, and with several jerky movements, slammed the butt of the gun hard over Lan's head, causing Lan's grip to loosen immediately out of shock; this gave Chaud time to push Lan off and pin his opponent down. Chaud would no longer let sentimentalities get in the way here; the Lan he knew was gone for the moment. He had a mission to accomplish.

Due to Lan's attack, Chaud had little to no energy left. This being the case, he put whatever energy was left in him to putting his whole weight on top of Lan's body, to pin the younger boy there in hopes that some _sense _could just be _knocked right into him_.

Both boys were breathing heavily and in a daze, one from the hit and the other from the choking. Had this been another time and place way in the past, both boys would have found themselves flustered in this compromising position.

Chaud pulled at the collar of his uniform as he straddled on top of Lan, keeping the other dazed boy pinned down underneath him-though the other could simply slide through and leave if he wanted. Chaud felt his neck and rubbed where Lan's hands had been and frowned; he would probably have bruises in the morning. That would mean Chaud would have to wear a turtleneck for weeks; not that Chaud was really thinking about that at the moment. He was more focused on giving the darkest death-glare in the universe to the young boy below.

One hand clasped over a knee for support, the other formed a fist and slapped his forehead. "Okay…okay…" Chaud closed his eyes, trying not to lose his self-control. "Lan."

Lan's glazed eyes slowly blinked. "Nnn…?"

Chaud took a deep breath then sighed out the air. He opened his eyes and started to wave his hand in a quick up and down motion. "Let's discuss this situation like civil people. Being at each other's throats…" Chaud winced at his bad choice of words, "Literally speaking…is not the way we get answers from one another."

Lan groaned and raised an arm slowly to nurse the back of his head where he had been hit, and not very thoughtfully either, though his current actions hardly warranted a lighter attack. Chaud bent down and shook Lan slightly, "Are you listening, Lan?"

Lan's eyes were starting to become more focused. The brunette nodded his head slowly, his words slurring, "Nn…yeah…I hear you…"

"Good," Chaud, frustrated, ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "Then listen to me, and listen to me _well_. Your father is _alive_. I do not joke about these things, nor would I ever hide the truth from you. It is time you _come back home_. Enough of this crap."

Lan blinked several times, letting his body relax completely as he digested this information. His thoughtful expression finally seemed genuine, so Chaud got off the other teen. After several moments of silence, Lan's eyes finally locked with Chaud's. "He's…_alive_," Lan whispered.

"Yes," Chaud agreed, "Yes, he is."

Lan chuckled softly, then curled up into a ball. He thrust a hand into his mess of hair and gripped at it, his other arm hugging around his knees as he shivered slightly against the cold and against his disbelief. "He's…home…"

"Yes."

Lan's teary eyes met Chaud's strong blue ones again. "I…all this time…I've been so incredibly wrong."

Chaud sighed and managed to crack a small smile; if there was one thing that didn't change over the years, it was Lan's poor ability to comprehend a simple concept in a few minutes. Rather, Lan more likely needed a few moments more in his mind to map out all possibilities. Chaud leaned down to help Lan up. "All right. Now that we finally got that settled, time to go."

Lan flinched away. "No!"

Chaud grumbled. Another thing that didn't change, Lan's stubborn behavior. "Why not?"

Lan looked at Chaud again, the tears flowing freely now. "After all that I've done…do you honestly think I would be accepted back home?"

"Of course! You know your parents, they are very understanding people."

Lan laughed weakly. "Are they…? Were they…? I don't remember…"

Chaud sighed and held out a hand. "Come on, Lan. Let's take you home. We can sort things out there."

Lan reached out for Chaud's hand, then slapped it away, as if it were an afterthought. "No. I could never go back. I can't go back!"

Chaud watched in slight surprise as Lan took off away from him. He slumped to the ground and sighed. Where Lan always got his energy to run, Chaud never understood. Right now, he was exhausted.

He vaguely remembered taking out Protoman from his pocket and asking him to call for some help before he passed out on the cold ground.

TO BE CONTINUED… 

**Unfortunately, this is the end of Chapter 2! I'm planning the next chapter to be more about why Lan joined the Trojans in the first place.**

**So far, all reviewers' votes go as follows: You want a happy yet angsty ending, and you want less storyline more pairing. I will do my best.**

**I also have a request for a sad ending. But right now happy-sad ending count is 1-1, pairing vs. storyline, however, seems unanimous for pairing.**

**If you want a say at how this ends, keep voting in your reviews! You may vote more than once (if your opinion changes!)**

**Continuous reviews are always appreciated. Thanks everyone!**

**See you all soon!**

**-SaiKenYuu-**


	4. Reflections

Author's Note: And yet another installment! So what did happen to Lan back there…? What was all of that we missed? Hm…perhaps this chapter shall enlighten us.

**Thanks for the funny return review, grandmasterp. Hahaha. Made my day. You weren't really drunk. Right? Right…? Haha!**

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: A little violence, that's about it.

Fic Note: After this chapter, I'm planning on a LOT more pairing from now on. I'm just trying to get some plot stuff out of the way. Bear with!

I promised to have this chapter up sooner but…I'm sorry! I got sidetracked last night.

**Reflections**

"_Chaud…you really should loosen up a lot more!" _

_Laughter. Chaud felt himself quirk a smile. "See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You don't have to be so cold all the time, Chaud…just smile a bit more!"_

_Chaud felt himself try hard not to laugh. Lan always tried to bring out the best in him, no matter how hard he tried to be passive. Somehow, Lan always succeeded._

_Lan brought out the child in him. He let Chaud be his age, while his father expected him to be full grown by twelve. Lan gave him so much to be grateful for._

"_Hah! I got you! You'd better come get me, Chaud!"_

"_Chaud…!" _Chaud stirred. _"Lord Chaud…!"_

_

* * *

_

Chaud's eyes opened slowly, and he blinked, his eyes trying to focus. Groggy, his head tilted to the side where his PET was, propped up on the table. "Proto…man…?"

"Yes, sir. Feeling better?"

"Nngh…" Chaud groaned and got up into a sitting position slowly. "Protoman…what the hell happened?"

Protoman cleared his throat. "Well…You chased Lan Hikari…we lost several valuable soldiers…we managed to capture most of the Trojans before they called their retreat…and soon after you tried to talk to Lan, he ran and left. You passed out shortly afterwards."

"…" Chaud brought his knees to his chest and leaned his head on his hand. "Hn…"

"What seems to be the matter?"

"Hm? Ah. It's nothing, Protoman."

Protoman chuckled. Since they weren't in the workplace, and no one was currently watching, he was able to drop the formalities and speak a bit more privately with his operator. "Chaud…you're usually not the one to get so down unless something has happened."

Chaud snorted. "Eh…you forget…I used to always be like this…"

Protoman winced. That was the truth. Lan had been the one to bring out Chaud's latest positive emotions. "Well…"

Chaud slammed his fist on the wall behind him. Protoman almost jumped in the PET due to the loud crack. "C-chaud!"

"Hn…" Chaud's eyes were narrowed as he looked straight at the wall ahead of him. "This was all my fault in the first place…if I hadn't-!"

Just then the door creaked open. Quickly, Chaud loosened up and tried to return to a calm state. Protoman quickly regained his composure as well. The poor young nurse walked in timidly and felt a bit intimidated by Chaud's stare. "Um…I see you're awake, Master Chaud?"

Chaud nodded once and gave her another chilly stare. "Is that not obvious?"

"Um…yes! Um…your medication!" the nurse hurriedly placed the bottle next to Protoman. "Um…two tablets every four hours and with water no food, and that's all!"

Chaud sighed. "And when will I be free to leave?"

The nurse straightened and stiffened. "Oh! Oh, that's right! Um…Doctor says you should be right and ready by the time you've gotten up so…" she blushed, "I guess that means you're free to go whenever you wish now!"

Chaud snorted as the nurse quickly shuffled out of the room. "That…was interesting."

Protoman smirked. "Indeed, it was."

Chaud leaned back and stretched. "Heh…not that it mattered that they gave me permission to get out. I would have anyway…"

"Then why bother asking for permission?" Protoman smirked.

"You know…I don't even have the slightest idea. Protocol I grew up on, I guess."

"Aa."

Chaud scanned his surroundings for a moment, finally becoming familiar with the area. "Infirmary."

"That is correct," Protoman agreed.

Chaud nodded. "Mmhmm…so we're on one of the top floors…"

"Fifth."

"Okay…now I have an idea where we are." Chaud got up from his sitting position and grabbed Protoman's PET, "Time to go, Protoman."

Protoman looked up at his net-op, slightly confused. "Where to, exactly?"

"_See? Getting out of your shell isn't so hard now, is it?"_

Chaud's eyes clouded. "We find Lan…"

* * *

Lan sighed as he stared at the brick wall in front of him. His mind was at present, a swirl of confusion due to recent happenings. Things had happened too quickly for him to handle-and who would be by his side to understand? He had considered leaning on Chaud's assistance once more ages ago, but realized that after all he had done to get to this point, it would be impossible.

Lan had been so naïve. He should have known better than to have gone this far. Though his original intentions had been pure, he should have realized that the world was not always a kind place.

* * *

_After seeing all of those photographs of injured or dead scientists all laid out carelessly on Chaud's worktable, a chord had struck deep within him. There was still hope that his father was alive, but Lan wasn't about to sit around and wait anymore, waiting in anticipation each day only to be thrown into pure disappointment._

_So he had gone off on his own to the Net Trojans, and worked his way from the bottom up. Somehow, before he knew it, he had stopped worrying about finding his father, and became far more worried about getting to the top of the line. He didn't know why, but suddenly he was just like everyone else on the Trojans, broken people looking for a good time._

_Eventually, somehow he had become second in command. He had all the power-and he was loving every moment of it. Megaman never had the sense to correct him, all because his navi felt like a lost soul too. Two lost souls working the same wrong mission._

_

* * *

_

Lan clicked his PET open, then shut, open, then shut. Megaman was used to this nervous tick of Lan's by now, and just quietly watched his operator. Lan stopped, then sighed. Megaman looked at his operator, concerned. "Lan…?"

"Yeah…?"

"What's on your mind?"

Lan's eyes glazed over as he thought about it. He thought of home and he thought of his friends and family. "Wondering…if we should just go back, like Chaud said."

"…"

Lan laughed bitterly. "Yeah…that's what I thought too."

"Do you want to go back?"

"Can we? I really don't know."

"Lan…"

The brunette began to shake and let the tears fall. "He's alive, Megaman…he's been alive all this time, and we didn't know…"

Megaman gave him a sympathetic look, which was missed. Lan dropped his PET to the ground and rested his head against the brick wall behind him. Recent memories filed through his mind.

"_There's a team of morons after us. That SRT or whatever group," their leader had said to him gruffly, "I want you to take your sector of Trojans and wipe em out."_

"_Now…?" he had said hesitantly._

"_No. Not now. Wait until only if the main group has been captured-then you can lead your ruffians out to free us and bring us back. Understood?"_

"_Right," Lan had agreed slowly._

The scene in Lan's mind quickly changed to the day of his fight with Chaud. How he had been surprised to see Chaud there and how he had run when their eyes met. There was no way Chaud could have known it was him, but when his eyes had connected with the blue-eyed boy, he had felt a small spark of some sort. It was as if the real reason for Chaud's coming had been to find _him_, and that fact alone scared him. After all, there could have been a number of reasons why Chaud would want to find him now; one of those reasons being that he was a highly wanted member of the Net Trojans.

He was in an even larger mess than that, anyway. He _had _tried to shoot _and _kill Chaud. How could anyone, especially Chaud, forgive him for those kinds of intentions?

Lan sighed. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He felt like he was walking on a thin wire, about to tip over on either side and plummet to his death. Lan took out his navi. "Megaman…what do we do…?"

For once, his brother didn't have an answer. Lan stared at Megaman's solemn face for a moment and half-smiled. "Well then…I guess we'll continue this way a bit longer, until we can think of something…"

"Yeah…I guess you're right."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**SaiKenYuu officially has a stomach flu…terrible, terrible, terrible! I may not be able to post for a while…gosh, I wish I knew what it was I ate…I never wanna eat it again! -Whimpers- **

'**Till next time, everyone! This should get a lot more interesting from here on out!**


	5. Run Again

Author's Note: **Awesome news. (No…I'm still sick…tears THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE!)**

**The awesome news is this: I made a forum! To post into it, find it in my profile! It's a general forum: you can prod me along my stories, encourage me, criticize me, or just post something random and fun for everyone to read!**

**I'd appreciate it mucho if you guys participated, because I would love to interact with you all more!**

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: A little more violence, mild cursing.

Fic Note: FINALLY! A new chapter. Thank you **Comtess **for the plot bunnies!

Shoutbacks: **RandomRathFan-** Glad you're enjoying it! Hope you like this installment.

**Shadow-** Thanks for the cookies! (So…this isn't a "soon" update, like you asked, but it's still an update, right!) And thanks for the puppies as well! (wonders if she should get sick more often…?)

**Nica510-**Yes…glares very evil this flu, is it not? Grumblegrumble I do appreciate your knowing sympathy.

**Grandmasterp-** HAHA! Your reviews constantly amuse me. Yes, thank you for the pill.

**Chiming.softly-** Thank you! --;; I'm trying to incorporate more pairing, but it seems to get pushed further and further back…

**Comtess-**Hahaha…and as usual-the wonderful beta reader! (My message to you: 3)

**Run Again**

"_They've infiltrated the first line of defense! What should we do, master Chaud?" _

Chaud ran a hand frustratedly through his hair as he watched the small red blips on the screen that were supposed to signify intruders. He sighed and adjusted his headset to respond to his tense officer. "Stop the troops, but leave the leader alone. Leave me to handle him."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the other voice replied back before closing the link.

Chaud sighed and stared at the screen a moment longer, thinking about the best way on how to intercept Lan alone. "Lan…what are you_thinking_…?" he muttered absently to himself.

* * *

"Um…Lan…are you sure we should be doing this?" 

"What, having your doubts _now, _Megaman? Now's not the time for secondary evaluations…"

"But_Lan_…maybe…maybe we should just surrender to Chaud now?"

Lan chuckled. "Oh yeah…let's do that. Now that we've infiltrated his base!" Lan snapped sarcastically.

Megaman sighed. "Chaud is understanding…"

"Right. He _was._ We don't know what he thinks about us now…so let's just focus on our current mission. Infiltrate base, get the rest of the Trojans back. That's all."

Megaman bit his lower lip. "Yeah…of course, Lan."

"Leader!" an older Trojan's shout snapped both Megaman and Lan out of their hypnotic conversation, "Where to, boss?"

Lan stopped a moment. The other Trojans halted their movement and looked at Lan questioningly. Lan sighed-he hadn't thought the plan this far through. The impulse of trying to recover the older Trojans had been spontaneous as well. Just as Lan was in the midst of deciding, the whole group could hear a large amount of footsteps coming down the hallway ahead of them.

Lan reacted quickly. "We've been spotted! Everyone, prepare your weapons and fight! We advance onward until we find the cells!"

"Yes, sir!" the Trojan Elite chorused.

The group continued to move on forcefully forward as Lan remained in the rear, still contemplating over things. His mind wasn't completely on the battle, though he knew he should be. These were the same boys he had grown up with during the past four years of his hard life.

* * *

"_Ey, boss! Look at what we've found, a runt!" an fifteen-year-old Trojan said, throwing Lan Hikari onto the ground before the Trojan ringleader._

_The leader eyed Lan critically for a moment before bending down to Lan's level and helping the boy up. Lan shivered and pushed the man's hands away and stared at the man in an almost dazed state, as if he could neither believe who he was talking to-nor his disposition. The older man stared at him a while longer, then chuckled. "So. What brings you around these parts, eh?"_

_Lan couldn't answer. The leader chortled. "Ah, mute, are we now? Well then, Farel, if you could see this young lad out…"_

"_Wait."_

"_Hm…?" the leader turned with slight interest, "Yes, what is it?"_

"_This is…Net Trojans…"_

"_Yes…?"_

"_You take…soldiers?"_

_The leader smirked. "Why, yes. Yes, in fact we do. We just began recruitment a while ago."_

_Lan half-smiled. The leader smiled cunningly. "You interested, perhaps?"_

_Lan didn't respond at first, but then nodded slowly. "Yeah…that's…that's why I'm here."_

_The young teen named Farel snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sure. You're here because you got caught. Now, whether you were trying to get enlisted or not is your business-but I'm just trying to keep the records straight here."_

_One death glare from the leader and the boy shut up. He flashed another questionable smile towards Lan. "Well then, boy. What might your name be?"_

"_Lan…" Lan whispered._

"_What was that? I didn't catch it."_

"_Lan…ce…sir." _

"_Lance…hm…I see. Farel?"_

"_Yes, boss?"_

"_Take this little one to a room and get him briefed, will ya? I like the looks of this one. Strong."_

_The teen bowed. "Yes, sir," he turned to Lan, whose face paled, "All right, Lance. Come with me."_

_Without a word, Lan quickly followed. He was led into a room. The teen named Farel slammed the door shut behind of them and turned to face a confused Lan. The older boy rubbed the side of his face and clucked his tongue. "You know…I really should bash your damn head in right now…"_

_Lan clutched his PET tightly. The boy moved his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "But you know…you did have a lot of guts to stand up against me. Even the leader seemed impressed…so I'm going to let you off."_

_Lan nodded slowly. The older boy smirked. "Anyhow…you realize what kind of work you're signing up for?"_

_Lan shook his head. "No."_

_Farel frowned. "Then why are you so interested?"_

_Lan blinked. "I…erm…I'm interested in the recent terrorist operations…"_

_Farel stared at Lan a moment, then laughed. "A-are you serious!"_

_Lan's mouth fell slightly open. "I…yeah."_

_Farel looked at Lan again. "You really are serious."_

_Lan nodded. Farel half-smiled. "You seem a bit young…perhaps the youngest to try and come aboard…"_

"_Twelve."_

"_Twel-? Wow…you are the youngest to request, then. No wonder our leader took such interest in you."_

"_Yeah…I guess."_

_Farel sighed. "Well…you sure about doing this? You grow up real fast, you know?"_

_Concerned eyes warned Lan's of future dangers. Lan only smiled brightly. "I'm ready for anything!" he struck a pose of triumph, feeling loosened up now, not even realizing the trouble he had just landed himself into._

_Farel sighed again. "Hm…well…I'd better fill you in on the basics on the mission then…"_

_From that point on, Lan and Megaman were never the same. Their original intentions to find their father became quickly deterred by other events._

_

* * *

_

"_Good job, Lance!" Farel clapped Lan on the shoulder and smirked, "You pulled out that mission well!"_

_Lan laughed. "Ya think?"_

"_Oh, yeah. I haven't laughed that much in ages! You're such a klutz. It's amazing how you're still alive."_

"_Hahaha."_

_

* * *

_

The Trojans had become home, somewhere in the past four years. A home away from home-the only home he had felt he'd ever need. And yet now, since his two worlds were clashing, Lan felt confused once more.

He was shocked back into the world, however, when his head made contact with the ground. "Lan!"

Lan's eyes refocused on a very furious Chaud. "Ch…aud…?"

Chaud groaned. "What exactly are you trying to pull here, Lan?"

Lan's face formed a dark look. "What does it look like? I'm going to free-"

Chaud punched Lan in the face. He grit his teeth-he hated attacking a fallen opponent, but at this point, he was desperate in knocking some kind of _sense _into this boy. "Are you fucking kidding me? That is the _stupidest _thing to do!"

Lan closed his eyes, as if trying to shut the world out. "S-so…what are you trying to _say _to me, Chaud?"

"Why are you trying to open another Pandora's box for yourself? Let me_help you_, Lan!"

"…"

"I can't help you, if you keep trying to attack us here."

Lan didn't move for a moment, then suddenly, Chaud was pegged in the back with the blunt end of a gun. Chaud faintly felt himself being pushed roughly away. "Lance!"

Lan blinked. It was Farel. The now nineteen-year-old helped Lan up. "You all right, Lance?"

Lan blinked and then frowned, pushing Farel aside.

"Lance? Lance!"

Lan glared at Farel, which froze the older teen because Lan was rarely angry with anyone. "This is my fight right now, Farel…go help the others."

Farel looked as if he was about to protest, then thought better of it. "Right. You call me when things get out of hand…"

Lan half-smiled. "Yeah, okay."

Farel had turned back only a split moment when he heard a crash of bodies into the metal walls behind of him. He grit his teeth in frustration, only giving him more adrenaline to fight the SRT troops. The numbers weren't looking good for the Trojans, however.

* * *

Lan winced as he tried to pry off Chaud's iron grip. "Chaud…c'mon…you're hurting me…!"

Chaud almost loosened his grip-for the moment, the old Lan he had known suddenly returned. He recovered immediately from that, however. "You've got to be kidding me…stop playing these games, Lan."

Lan squirmed. "Chaud…you're really…" the brunette tried to take in air.

"Lord Chaud…"

Chaud frowned. "What _is it_, Protoman?"

"Lord Chaud, just put Lan down!"

Just then, Chaud seemed to remember what exactly he was doing-and who exactly he was exerting the action upon. He released Lan. "My_god_…"

Chaud backed away and stared at his hands in disbelief. Lan took in large gasps of air and rubbed his sore neck. "Nngh…Chaud…?"

Chaud seemed to be debating something in his mind. Lan waited patiently, afraid to trigger anymore violence from the other boy. Finally, Chaud spoke, "Lan…"

"Yes…?" he was still breathing heavily.

Chaud looked up at Lan slowly and shook his head. "This has got to stop."

Lan found himself reluctantly agreeing. Chaud half-smiled and held out his hand; Lan grabbed it and Chaud pulled the brunette up to standing position. To Lan's surprise, Chaud gripped Lan's hand tightly and looked at him squarely in the eyes. "Now…_listen to me_ for _once _Lan…"

Lan nodded slowly. Chaud sighed, "All right. Good. Order your men to retreat-now. And stop all Trojan activity until you and I have all this sorted out-because I don't know about you, but I am completely lost and disoriented in mind, soul, and body right now."

Again, Lan nodded slowly. Without another word, Chaud slowly let go of Lan's hand and turned to his troops; he spoke into his headset and the SRT team went into immediate action, capturing all the Trojans they could. For a moment, Lan remained still, but then Chaud turned and raised an eyebrow. Lan laughed softly-Chaud was showing the enemy mercy. Why he was doing this, Lan couldn't fathom, but he knew what he had to do as the leader.

"Retreat! Net Trojans, abort mission!"

Not hesitating a moment-due to the fact that their numbers had considerably diminished, the Net Trojans regrouped and escaped. The SRT troops tried to rush after them, only to be stopped by Chaud's commanding hand. "No…" Chaud watched them leave, "Let them go for now. Just take care of what we have."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

* * *

Once outside and safe, the Net Trojans took a break to catch their breaths. Lan looked solemnly at the building they had just evacuated. He felt a hand on his arm and looked up to see the warm face of Farel. 

"Come on, Lance. Let's go."

Lan nodded slowly and motioned for his troop to head back to base-their numbers even smaller than before.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**So what did you all think? Everyone catch the minor cursing? Lol. Hope it didn't distract your view of the story.**

**What did you all think about this chapter? Ready to move on? Let me know. Review this please, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!**

**-SaiKenYuu**


	6. Loneliness

Author's Note: Wow…major writer's block lately. This is insane!** We're not even halfway through the story yet!**

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: The angst! The drama! Need a tissue?

Fic Note: I am writing as fast as I can, I _promise_. I just keep hitting roadblock after roadblock. My apologies to everyone!

**RoseKitsune.Exe- **You're alive and well! Wonderful! Thanks for your review! Perhaps this chapter will clear up some? Or maybe it'll confuse more…? Who knows! Enjoy! 'Till next installment…whenever that is…sweats I only type so fast, people!

**Chiming.softly- **Erm…don't let my writing be an indication. _Sure _you won't try. --winks, shifty eyes--

Reviews do help, however. Only reason I got the other ones done so fast is that this fic relies heavily on constructive reviews. By hearing your questions and what you say, I'm able to adjust the next chapter to better adapt what you'd like to see. So keep any suggestions/requests coming!

**Loneliness**

"_What now? Our numbers are smaller than before!"_

"_Yeah! We should be trying to recruit new members or trying to get back our lost!"_

A cracking sound echoed through the building, then the dull thud of a body hitting the floor. Fear was evoked in each member of the team. Farel looked around dangerously, "If anyone else wishes to bother our leader in his moment of rest, feel free to come up against me."

"…"

"_Heh. I thought so."_

_

* * *

_

"Lan…what'cha thinking about…?" Megaman inquired cautiously.

Lan was staring off into space. "Hm…?" he replied absently.

"Nevermind…"

The brunette looked down at his PET. "No, I'm sorry Megaman, what was it?"

"Just wondering what's on your mind, Lan."

His net-op chuckled. "What's on my mind? Gosh…there's a whole lot on my mind right now…like-like how we got this far down the road? And I'm…just really confused at the moment."

"I'd say we'll be fine, but I'm not even sure about that right now either," Megaman replied to this honestly, "I know one thing for certain, though."

"What's that?"

"Chaud's not going to fool around anymore. Next time we do something irrational like that, we're not going to get much mercy-I have a feeling."

Lan nodded, "Yeah…you're right. So what do we have to do?"

"Terminate activity for a while. We can't _disband _the Trojans, that'll just cause more trouble. We're going to have to 'relax' activity a while…until we figure something out."

"Hm…yeah. Hey, Megaman?"

"Hm?"

"Do you want to do this anymore?"

"…"

"Do you?"

"Do what, Lan?"

"Play 'leader' with these guys."

"No."

A half-smile. "Yeah, me neither. You know what's funny though?"

"Hm?"

"It used to be fun. It used to _all make sense_."

"_Used to, _Lan."

* * *

"Net Trojans seemed to have disappeared for the time being, sir." 

_Chaud merely tapped his desk with his index finger, staring dazedly off into space. "Sir…?" the officer repeated again, "Trojan activity has stopped…"_

_Chaud's voice was dangerously low, his eyes narrowed. "Good."_

_The officer flinched at the ice in Chaud's voice and left immediately without thinking about being dismissed. Chaud continued to tap on his desk._

_

* * *

_

Lan tossed and turned in his bed. He wasn't getting any sleep. He'd wake Megaman, but his navi was on sleep mode for the rest of the night. Lan didn't want to wake him unless in extreme cases. Placing Megaman in a soundproof case, Lan decided to go walking out of his room.

Walking down the hallways, he heard rustling movement echoing down the hall, and decided to follow the noise. Walking a while, to his left there was a balcony. A figure was visible, leaning on the wall. Lan walked up slowly behind the person, then stopped.

"What's wrong, squirt? Can't sleep?"

Lan almost died of a heart attack. Farel turned and caught Lan just before the boy could collapse from shock. Farel chuckled, helping Lan back up, "S'why you don't sneak up on people, squirt."

The younger boy took a moment to reorient himself. Farel smiled. "So, what's eating you?"

"Huh?" Lan gulped, "Nothing's on my mind…"

Farel threw back his head and laughed. "I've known you four years now, Lance…" he took out a cigarette swiftly from his vest pocket and raised an eyebrow at Lan, asking for silent permission. Lan only waved his hand in consent.

Putting the cigarette in his mouth, he lit it up and leaned back on the balcony. "So don't step around it-what's eating you?"

"…" Lan stared hard at the ground, then in one quick motion he snatched the cigarette from Farel's mouth and stuck it in his own, taking one long drag-then throwing it on the ground and coughing like crazy.

Farel's eyes widened in shock and he patted Lan on the back while putting out the cig. "You idiot! What'd you do that for? You know you can't smoke!"

Lan's coughs eventually subsided and he looked up at Farel with red eyes. "Yeah…now I know why Chaud always told me to avoid those 'cancer sticks.' How do you do it, anyway?"

"What, smoke? No big deal. I'm big enough and tough enough for it," Farel grinned, but then frowned a moment as he lit another one, "Say…did you say Chaud?"

Lan blinked. He chuckled nervously, "Eh…did I?"

Farel smoked the cigarette thoughtfully and tilted back his head, blowing rings of smoke into the sky as he seemed deep in thought. "Yeah…yeah, I think you did."

"…I see."

"Who is that, anyway? Isn't it that kid that led those SRT bastards? The one we met again that last mission, trying to choke you to death?"

"That…"

Farel looked at Lan seriously. "That _was _him, wasn't it? Why'd you mention his name? He advised you not to smoke cigarettes? You know him personally?"

Lan looked away. "Eh…no, not particularly."

Farel took another drag. "_Really _now? That's interesting. You mentioned his name so familiarly. You sure you're not hiding anything?"

The brunette clenched his fists and stared angrily into Farel's green eyes. "You'd do well not to ask me that, Farel," Lan turned to leave. A hand grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from doing so.

Hard, brown eyes stared coldly at slightly concerned green ones. "Hey…! Hey…don't get so angry, all right, squirt? Just tell me straight. You know you can trust me better than anyone else here. Me and your navi, right?"

Lan continued to just stare. Farel evenly matched his stare, waiting for Lan to provide an answer. "Well?"

"A friend."

Farel blinked. That was unexpected. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to make all the possible connections in his head. "What _kind _of friend?"

"Childhood friend. Satisfied?"

The older teen's jaw dropped slightly at the bluntness of the response. He could tell he was starting to annoy Lan, but he was curious now-this information had direct effect on the Trojans. "So what you're saying is…you were on his side when you joined us…?"

Lan bit the inside of his cheek, he wasn't liking where this was going. "And if I was…?"

He didn't know how, but Farel had backed him into the corner of the balcony. If he really wanted to, Farel could fling Lan off and make it look like an accident. "Then explain to me…why in the _world _you'd come over to the Net Trojans in the first place?"

Lan sighed. He had known this day would appear sooner or later. "You would like the truth?"

"Of course. You know me very well-though it seems I no longer know _you _half as well."

"Mm…when I joined…the Trojans had a special mission. They were capturing, and sometimes killing, scientists."

Farel raised an eyebrow, "Do tell me there's more than that."

"…My father worked at one of the labs captured. That should explain the rest."

The older teen ran a hand through his redish-orange hair. "So if I understand correctly what you're saying here…and we both are up to date with operations?"

Lan nodded slowly. "Then why in the world are you _still in this group_?" Farel managed, slightly exasperated.

Lan half-smiled, "That seems to be the funny thing. I'm here…because I'm just here."

Farel blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"…Interesting."

Farel backed away off of Lan. "That's all right then," he turned the other way.

Lan looked at Farel questioningly. "Farel…?"

"Go to sleep, Lance."

"But…"

"No one has to know. Go to _sleep_."

"…Yeah, I guess I will. By the way, the name is _Lan_."

"…" Farel continued to smoke his cigarette.

Without once looking back, Lan walked back down the long hallway back to his room.

* * *

"Lance…or Lan…so then-who are you, anyway?" 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**That's it for this chapter! Review if you wish! But right now, I think I made my sickness worse, so I have to scoot. New update might not be for a while.**

**Urgh…my stomach feels so weird tho…remind me to avoid food for a million years, _please_! I can't thank enough the people who are constantly concerned. Nice to know there will be _some _kind of celebrating when I get better.**

**I hope in time for the holidays…I need to eat that good family food…!**

**If I don't see you guys again for a while, happy early Christmas and a happy early New Year as well! Gosh, is it really that time again already? This year sure flew by.**

**-SaiKenYuu**


	7. Rebellion

Author's Note: **IT'S BEEN SO LONG! GOSH I'VE MISSED YOU ALL!**

**I always check my forum on this place, especially in writer's block, so post there to keep in touch with me! **

I've been so busy on vacations, being sick, doing this and that. I AM HEALED! XD I went to this one trip, and I got better while everyone else got food poisoning from some random questionable meat. Ya know the crazy thing? I ate it too and I got cured…weird.

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: THE ANGST QUEEN IS BACK! Sort of…

Fic Note: Trying to write as quickly as possible. So many chapters left to do, and I realize I'm behind…but first? My thankyous! **Your reviews helped so much, I love you all!**

**Chiming.softly- **Sorry this chapter didn't come as quickly as the other one! Trying to upload more later! I believe you sent me that wonderful PM as well? Love you too!

**Comtess- **My beloved beta and inspiration! Another chapter FINALLY made, after so many obstacles, yes?

**Grandmaster P- **Thank you so much for your funny reviews! You're so wonderful.

**RoseKitsune.EXE- **Hope I'll see you again this chapter! Long awaited, I know…x.x

**Shadow- **I think you've come by twice this fic…and maybe one of my other fics too, in Weiss? I forget. Thanks so much for showing up!

**RandomRathFan- **Thank you for your several PM's as well. Wonderful person you are. Sorry for the late chappie!

**Rebellion**

"_I'm bored!" one of the Trojans whined, "We haven't had anything to do in weeks!"_

_Many of the other Trojans in the room had to agree. The noise level of the room started to rise with heated discussions and debates about their current situation. They were questioning why there was no mission, who was to blame for their small numbers, and most especially-why their leader was currently doing nothing about the present situation._

_At one time, Farel would have cast a single glare to shut the mouths of the rowdy lot, but he himself was beginning to have some of his doubts. He wondered how reliable Lance, or "Lan"-as he had now learned to call him by, would be as a leader. _

_The room fell silent almost immediately as their missing leader finally made his way into the room full of Net Trojans. They looked to him expectantly for answers._

_

* * *

_

"Everyone…I have an announcement."

All eyes were on Lan. No one spoke a word. Lan gripped his hold on his PET as he spoke. "I feel that it has become too dangerous for Net Trojans to continue our activities as we are. Our numbers have recently greatly diminished. I refuse to lose any more soldiers. I feel that this is the ending point for the Trojans. Our actions stop today."

No one could speak for a moment; most were shocked speechless. They didn't understand how their beloved leader could turn his back on them. In this team, they had a purpose to live. Lan was taking that purpose away by terminating them.

One of the teens angrily slammed at the wall. "Are you serious!" he sent a piercing glare of rage to Lan, who stood there unmoving, "You're just going to pick people like us off the streets, give us jobs, then take them away!"

Lan felt a slight sense of doom. He had known that this would happen to him eventually. His most loyal followers had been captured by Chaud's first wave of SRT soldiers. Since then, he had been heavily relying on Farel's loyalty. Due to his recent slips, however, things weren't looking so great for him.

The young teen stared at Lan's helpless facial expression. An evil glow started to bask on the boy's face. "You…you don't know what you're doing anymore, do you?"

Lan's eyes widened slightly. He tried to avoid scanning the room for aid that would never come. The attention of all the Trojans began to focus on this one boy. In the corner of the room, Farel gripped at his bat, debating within himself whether or not to help Lan. It was too late by that point, however. Lan's control had completely slipped. "Yeah!" another Trojan agreed, "We've had no missions lately, ever since that day we messed up trying to free our Sr. Trojans from base."

"What do you mean _we _screwed up?" another shouted and pointed to Lan, "_He _was the one that led us, remember? _He _screwed up!"

Lan didn't know why, but he felt a bit relieved that his power was diminishing. Though his mind screamed for him to regain order, his heart was telling him that enough was enough.

"_He's no leader, he's a fake!"_

"_Why have we been following him anyway, he hasn't done anything for us!"_

"_We want a new leader!"_

"_Yeah! New leader! New leader!"_

Before Lan could realize what was happening, he was on the run. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he ran mindlessly down the halls. From happiness, sadness, or possibly even both, Lan couldn't tell. All he knew was, in a way, he was free. He was free to get out of this hell. After running what seemed like miles, Lan had somehow made his way out of the Trojan base. It was at this moment he regretted not regaining control. It was at this moment he remembered why he had continued to stay. Lan Hikari, an ex-Trojan leader with no place to go; running takes a person only so far.

* * *

_Bang_. The loud crack sounded in the room, silencing all Trojans. They all froze and turned their gaze slowly towards the direction of the sound. Eyes were slightly fearful as they faced a very angry looking Farel. 

Lowering the hand holding his gun, he let his arm fall almost limply to the side as he swung his bat over his shoulder with his other hand. He closed his eyes and sighed. "All right. _Now_…that's enough. Lance…has thrown away his position," his opened his eyes and faced everyone, his chilly gaze affecting them all and forcing them into submission, "From this day forward, Trojans…we will do this _right_. I will lead you from this point on."

The Trojans were speechless once more. Farel spoke before another could instigate another rebellion, "Any _questions_?"

The Trojans remained silent. Farel sighed again. "Fine. Rest up. We attack Blaze in the morning."

The troops filed out of the room for the day. Once the last Trojan left the room, Farel felt himself relax and lean against the wall with a dull thud, letting the gun go and trembling slightly; he was unsure whether he was trembling with anger or something else-perhaps a small excitement of his position. One thing was certain, however.

Farel slowly stared at the dim lights of the drab ceiling. "Lance…no, _Lan_…"

After staring at the building for a long time, Lan turned and skidded away. Where he would go, he had no idea, but he knew he'd never be able to return to the Trojans.

"_Don't come back…"_

_

* * *

_

"Emergency, Master Chaud! Surprise attack! Surprise attack!"

"From who?" Chaud roared over the communication system.

"It's the Trojans! They're attempting to cut through again!"

Chaud slammed his fist on his desk out of frustration. "What the hell is he thinking?" he muttered as he threw on a jacket. He put his link back on. "Tell me, is their leader with them?"

"…No. I'm afraid not, sir. But I think someone else is leading them."

"What!" Chaud was getting annoyed. He had thought he had specifically told Lan to halt all Trojan activity. This time, he wasn't going to provide much mercy.

Something was amiss, however. His officer had said Lan wasn't on the team with them. As much as he wanted to concentrate on what terrible intentions Lan probably had for this diversion, he couldn't focus. He had to find Lan and find out for himself all the details.

"Men, keep your ground, fight back, and capture who you can. I'm after the leader."

"But the leader isn't here, sir!"

"I know…I'm going on a manhunt…"

"…" a pause on the other line from all officers.

"Well? Are you all questioning me?"

"No, sir!"

"Then do as you're told!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Chaud threw off his headset, grabbed Protoman, and ran for the back way to start looking for Lan. "You'd better have a good reason for this, Hikari…" he muttered.

For some reason, however, Chaud couldn't stay angry, even as he knew what he had to do if he ever found Lan. For some odd reason, Chaud felt a tug of loneliness and sadness in his heart. Like it was being shred to tiny little pieces.

* * *

**All right, that was a short one, but better than nothing right? Trying to upload a chock full of chapters this weekend! This winter break has been too hectic for me…a huge heartbreak, a lot of letdowns in life, and so on and so forth, but still going strong!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! LOVE YOU ALL!**

**-SaiKenYuu-**


	8. Chance Encounter

Author's Note: **I know I promised this sooner but…exams make a person go insane. So does confrontations with earlier heartbreak mentioned…I didn't want that angst to create some influence over how this story is SUPPOSED to go…AnYways.**

As a consolation-for those who care…I put up in the forum a fic sampler of upcoming projects I'm hoping to finish by the end of this year. Hopefully all will be tackled even by the end of summer? Who knows. Go check it out though, and comment what interests you-what you may want to see come out first. Just comment on that topic-I'd really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: Mostly action here. Pairing is coming up soon! Just gotta lead into it-the cool way, 'na mean? Though I'm sure you're all getting a bit impatient by now…? I'll try to upload fast!

Fic Note: Thank you ALL for your reviews last chapter. Working away! Hopefully will get closer to the half-way point this weekend!

Interesting how my writing style changes slightly from chapter to chapter, right? I've found this is the downside of many planned chapters and few days to write it in. Moods change, time changes, everything changes little by little. Oh well, I still have enthusiasm for this fic though-hopefully you guys are still with me 'till the end!

**Chance Encounter**

"_Damnit!" Farel slammed his fist against iron doors. There was no equipment that could get the Trojans through these doors._

_It appeared that the leader of the SRT group had fled for some reason or another and the defense had been smart enough to quickly regroup and block all entrances leading to the core of the base. At this point, Farel found himself keeping cool on the outside, but cursing a million curses under his breath inwardly. Had Lan still been with them, they could've found a way into the base, but right now-no dice._

_As he regretfully told his troops to retreat until they could think of another way to approach the situation, he thought about why he was even at this base anyway. He chuckled-it was quite ironic. The one they needed most for this mission had betrayed them. As they headed back for base, Farel felt automatic mild concern for Lan's well being, though he didn't want to readily admit it to himself._

_

* * *

_

Chaud felt like a complete moron at the moment-to put it lightly. He had gone out in the middle of town, on his own, to find a person whom he didn't even know the set location of; he was simply wandering endlessly in the middle of nowhere.

He remained still in the quiet of the empty street. The area he was in was restricted to normal civilians, so they hardly received any traffic. He was leaning against the lamppost when he heard the sound.

_The sound of crying._

It sent ripples of pain through his heart. Only one thought was on his mind as he ran in the direction of the sound.

"_Lan…"_

_

* * *

_

He didn't know how many corners he had turned to get to this point. Lan could've sworn he had been walking for hours, but he probably really only walked no more than twenty minutes. Megaman had stopped trying to talk to him a while ago-since he wasn't in the mood for answering anyway. He was just _so lost._

_Go home_. A part of him was telling him to do so. However, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. A bit too angsty, one may think, but no matter how accepting his parents were-it still disgusted him to think he had a right to randomly come back home and say 'oh, hello, how are you? I'm the son you've been missing for years, how does it feel to see me again as an ex-criminal?' or something of that sort.

Eventually he ended up slumped in the cold corner of some random alley, somehow, but it didn't really matter to him anyway-all these alleys looked the same. Since he had stopped being Trojan leader, he no longer needed to know the difference between alleyways. Somewhere during his mild depression, he had forgotten all sense of needing to know where he was headed anyway.

So here he was, crying. For no reason at all. At first, he had wanted Megaman to console him, but he realized that to be a stupid idea. He _had _treated Megaman with disrespect recently, he didn't deserve any kindness at this point. He had screwed up, and badly, no questioning that.

Kindness and mercy. Two words he felt that he would never witness the meanings of ever again.

Drowned in his own pool of self-pity and depressing thoughts, he never registered the sound of rapid footsteps nearing his location. In fact, he didn't register anything until he saw two black boots in front of his face, and the familiar army pants from so long ago, all tied together with the heavy breathing of a figure bent over and clasping its knees, shadowing over Lan.

Empty brown orbs slowly looked up and locked with soft blue ones. Lan felt his jaw drop slightly. Chaud smiled, his blue orbs sparkling through his sweat-drenched hair. Standing up a bit straighter, yet still bend slightly, he offered his hand to Lan.

They remained like that for several seconds, maybe even a couple minutes-but it definitely felt much longer than that for both boys. Then there was a cool breeze that brushed gently against them both. That was all the push Lan needed. Taking Chaud's hand he buried his face into Chaud's chest and let the tears flow silently, feeling warm and protected in his strong arms, holding him closely, letting him release all of that stress. Chaud also let himself relax. The worst seemed to be over, for now.

* * *

"Lan…we need to have a serious talk." 

Lan avoided Chaud's eyes and continued to stare at his feet. Chaud sighed. "Come on, Lan, _work _with me here…"

"…What do you want me to say, Chaud?"

Chaud felt exasperated, "Look, Lan…didn't we agree that Trojan activity would _end _that day?"

Lan laughed bitterly. "If Trojan termination is what this was about…I can't help you anymore, Chaud."

Chaud blinked, "What?"

Lan sighed, "…It's really out of my hands, Chaud."

"And why is that?"

"They…they got tired of me ordering them around! Okay!" Lan spit out, finally.

Chaud was caught by slight surprise. He thought about this new piece of information. He gripped one of Lan's shoulders and brought the younger boy closer to comfort him. "All right Lan…you go home now. I'll let your parents know that you're coming…they've been waiting a long time for you…"

"…" Lan paused a moment, then decided against telling Chaud his true feelings about that idea, "What…what are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay…"

* * *

_It was a cowardly way to do it, Chaud knew. He had commanded Blaze SRT to do one of the most childish strategy in the book. If nothing goes your way, play nights. His SRT located the Trojan base with simple coaxing from Lan and then they ambushed the base that very night, finally capturing every last one. _

_Except, of course, the new leader. Once again, Chaud had played cat-and-mouse with Farel. Finally, out of breath, he had the other youth cornered._

_

* * *

_

_Click. _Chaud's gun was aimed straight for Farel's head. Both boys had a small level staring contest with one another. Farel was the first to break the ice. "Who told you where we were?"

"You know who."

Farel chuckled. "Hn. I see."

To Chaud's amazement, Farel raised his arms in submission, dropping his own weapon. "All right. Take me in."

Chaud fidgeted a bit. "Why so simple?"

"There are no more Trojans…my former leader is nothing more than a spy. What more is there to fight for?"

"…"

"Absolutely nothing. But I hope you realize this was the cheapest way to do this?"

"…Yes."

"Hn. As long as you know."

Chaud buzzed in on the comm. "All right soldiers, to the center of the vicinity. I've captured the final member of the Trojans. Let's take him in."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The eyes of both boys locked for a moment. For just that moment, both could share a brief moment of relief. For many different, yet similar reasons.

* * *

**Hopefully that made up for everyone's long wait! I know I worked my butt off on this one! We're getting closer to the halfway point of this fic! Hope you all stick around!**

**-SaiKenYuu-**


	9. On the Run

Author's Note: **New chapter! After this, the fun stuff. XD As if this wasn't already fun!**

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: Action? Slight. Filler? Yeah.

Fic Note: Kitsune, Rath, and GP- Love you guys! Here's another one for the day! Always appreciate your constant reviews, thoughts, and feelings for each individual chapter, not just after you've read the whole thing!

Oh yeah and…lame title, I know but…It sounded cool when this story was in the planning stage! -Wails-

**On the Run**

_Net Trojans were officially terminated._

This was a huge relief for people everywhere. The end of a small age of terror-the net dependent cities would live in peace once again until the next time some criminal mastermind decided to take over the world, which could happen tomorrow if someone wanted to-that was usually how it went in those cities. One evil power would prevail, lose power, and another one would soon quickly take its place.

Now all the world would have to wait for was to turn on their televisions and watch the trials and hearings for each culprit. Close to two thousand prisoners. A large set of people to prosecute. Some would be receiving the death penalty, without a doubt, for killing SRT soldiers, the scientists, and other innocents.

Thanks to Chaud, no one but the Hikari's knew that Lan had ever been involved. After Lan's initial disappearance, Chaud had made the first move in making sure that everyone believed Lan had gone on special assignment for his company-which everyone believed, since at the time he and Lan were getting very close in their friendship. Chaud's business-like foresight paid off. Lan would be saved from a lot of trouble.

Everything seemed to be falling back into place. Life would be back to the way it was again, before the Trojans. Chaud dutifully watched the different monitors watching over the jail cells as he relaxed, drinking his coffee. Lan had left his office a while ago, promising to return home.

Chaud's eyes fell on Farel's prison, however. Lan had talked to him and asked him to spare Farel from this mess as well. Chaud had reluctantly agreed. Though he wouldn't admit it readily-he was jealous of the shady relationship Lan seemed to hold with Farel. He wasn't quite sure why, but he had a bit of a possession issue where Lan was concerned. Ever since they were kids, the minute Lan finally grew on him was the minute Chaud felt that he had to be one of the most special people in Lan's life.

Chaud tapped the monitor showing Farel's cell with his pencil at a steady beat.

* * *

_Ring._ "Hello?" 

"Hi, Dr. Hikari? Is Lan home?"

"Hm…no, Chaud…I'm afraid he never showed up…"

"But he told me-"

"I know Chaud, I believe you…but I guess he's just not ready to come home yet…"

"…"

"Something the matter?"

"No…nothing sir. Have a good day."

"You as well. Oh and Chaud?"

"Yes…sir?"

"Thank you very much for taking care of my son."

"No problem…sir."

_Click. End._

_

* * *

_

"Lan!" Megaman's voice was exasperated, "Where are you going? Chaud said we should be going home!"

Lan ignored Megaman. He felt a bit sadistic, preventing Megaman from seeing their father like this, but he wasn't ready to go back home. He was still having mixed feelings about everything. A part of him was far more relieved, because he had managed to save Farel's life, and Chaud had explained to him that he would never be charged with anything-but Lan was still worried. The leader knew who he was. If he were to ever say anything, Lan would be finished-and on public television. For some reason though, he was so used to sharing his fears with Farel as of late, he didn't really feel comfortable sharing with Chaud or Megaman at this very moment. Though he had known Chaud and Megaman since childhood, Farel had grown on him as a brotherly figure. As he walked aimlessly down the streets heading for the metroline, he hoped inside that Farel would be all right, and that Chaud would keep his promise.

"Where are we going?"

Lan walked up to a booth. "One ticket for Electopia, please. Thank you."

* * *

Chaud sighed. He was getting really sick of Lan's recent habit of running away. It was as if the younger boy was unknowingly trying Chaud's patience to the very end. In fact, with his daily morning white hair count with Protoman that morning, his black hair had reduced a significant amount, replaced with whites. 

"Protoman?"

"Yes, Chaud?"

"What information did you find?"

"I got in private contact with Megaman. He says Lan is heading for Electopia."

"Ah…great. Ready to go?"

"…"

"What? What's up?"

"Nothing really, just thought maybe I should suggest something."

"What would that be?"

"Perhaps you should leave Lan alone a while?"

Chaud frowned. "He's already had enough lone time!"

"…Not entirely true. Only recently he was let out of the gang. Perhaps he should be allowed some more time to get his thoughts together?"

"…No. The more he thinks, the more likely he'll keep away."

"It was just a suggestion…"

Chaud slid on a jacket. He looked down at Protoman, expression serious. "Good. It'll stay a suggestion."

* * *

_Heavy breathing. He hides in the shadows and corners of the city as he attempts to hide from his pursuer. His heart thumps rapidly, just like the time his pursuer had chased him down when he was the leader of the Trojans. Fearfully, he looks around the corner, only to revert immediately back to his original position, trying to get his breathing in check and hiding._

_The other boy chasing him looks around rapidly, trying not too look too conspicuous. Every once in a while he looks at his PET before making his next move._

_He hears footsteps come in his direction and curses inwardly; he wonders how in the hell the other boy seems to know his next move with such accuracy. Wasting no time, he runs quickly, as if hellfire is chasing him from behind. Unfortunately, he ends up at a dead end. Instead of giving up, he decides to go for scaling the wall. Somehow, he manages the feat. Exhausted, he rests on the roof of some unknown building, breathing in and out, staring at the sky._

_The other boy looks around confused, then backtracks to the main road-there was no way the brunette could have scaled that wall. Cursing, he tries again._

_Meanwhile, the boy on the roof falls asleep, breathing in and out slowly, trying to relax._

_

* * *

_

It was a peaceful dream.

"_Hah! Bet you can't catch me!" Lan stuck out his tongue._

_A roll of the eyes. "Right. You know, Lan, I really should be getting back to business."_

_Lan pouted. "Cha-ud! You're always doing work! That's not healthy for boys our age. We should be out doing something fun!"_

_Chaud scrunched his nose, "Like this?"_

_Lan thought about it a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, just like this."_

_Chaud laughed. "Haha, okay."_

_The two boys ran in the field of Lan's dreams. Finally, Lan was caught. Lan smiled and turned around. His smile faded. There was no one. He was alone._

He was wide awake; a tear slowly fell from the corner of his eye as he stared blankly up at a dark Electopian sky.

* * *

**What'd ya'll think? Fun chapters are going to come up left and right here on out! Stay tuned!**

-SaiKenYuu-


	10. No One to Call

Author's Note: **Another new chapter! See? I'm finally catching up! Small preview of next chapter will be at the bottom!**

**And yeah…embarrassing. This chapter is WAY WAY overdue…was supposed to be in by Christmas…yep, folks. This fic should currently be on chapter 18, had things gone on a more proper schedule irl. Anyway, plugging away! About 43250946871 gazillion years behind, but I can make this up! -Look of determination- I hope…-sweatdrop-**

**Just got a new job, new scheduling, and tons of hw...soooo...I died. But now I'm trying to revive my writing bug! So overworked! (Next year, I'm laying off the writing classes...)**

Disclaimer: Refer back to the prologue.

Warnings: Slowly going to lead into a relationship! -BIG smile- WaTCH out!

Fic Note: Yeah, I know, I'm drawing this out-but since it isn't summer, I couldn't reduce the fic chapters. Sucks for me too, as much as you guys. I usually try to avoid making fictions this long…I pray this is the longest I ever make a fic. I'm still havin' fun though! Hope you all are!

**No One to Call**

"…_and Yaten Kinomoto. The Trojan trials are set for the week of the New Year. What a great way to end the holiday season and kick-off with a morbid start. In other news…"_

Lan drowned out the anchorwoman's voice. Shivering, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away from the televisions in the display case of the television store. He was relieved. There had been no mention of his name nor Farel's on the long list of Trojans awaiting their trial dates. Chaud had kept his promise. That was all that mattered.

"_Merry Christmas!"_

Chaud groaned as he threw a pillow over his head. The holiday fever had started yesterday and the words "Merry Christmas" were yelling at him left and right since Christmas Eve the night before. Chaud could never stand the holidays. The only one that gave him tolerance was unavailable at the moment. Right now it was midnight and the obnoxious neighbors next door to his apartment, which he only lived in if he didn't have time to go to the mansion and back to the office again, were apparently holding some kind of party.

Chaud eventually fell into a deep sleep, only to be jerked awake quickly by the sound of his telephone ringing. Chaud groaned and looked at his digital clock, blearily. 3am. Annoyed, Chaud answered the phone. "Hello?" he croaked.

The person on the other end remained hesitant. "Hello?" Chaud repeated, rubbing his eyes.

He checked his clock again. 3:05. Chaud felt a bit irritated, not feeling the mood to humor a prank call this early in the morning, not that he ever was in the mood to humor such a moment. "Look, if you're giving a sales call, you're insane. It's three in the damn morning."

A muffled sob stopped Chaud from hanging up. Chaud blinked. "Hello?"

Chaud reached for his PET and tapped Protoman awake. Used to being woken up early-usually because of one of Chaud's important business calls, takes only a few seconds to get reoriented and ready for action. As soon as he had Protoman's full attention, Chaud swirled his finger around, silently asking his navi to trace the call. Protoman raised an eyebrow, but nodded in affirmative, and began the trace.

"Hello…?" Chaud began again a bit more softly.

A choked sob. "Nevermind…I'm sorry." Click.

He had failed to catch the other when he recognized the voice. "Lan? Lan!"

All he was met with was a dial tone. Chaud looked at Protoman. "Did you get it?"

"Yes."

Chaud was relieved. "Good. Print the location out."

* * *

"Lan, what's wrong?" Megaman mumbled. 

Lan sighed. "I just did the strangest thing…"

"What?"

"Called Chaud."

"Called Chaud? Why is that so strange, Lan?"

"First of all, Megaman…do you know what time it is?"

A momentary pause. "Oh."

"Yeah..." Lan didn't know why he had dialed Chaud's number, of all people. Within logic, Chaud was still his enemy-in fact, everyone was his enemy now.

Though his identity wasn't clear even to the former Trojans, he _had _turned them in. Therefore, going back was no option. As for his parents, he was not a wanted convict of some sort, so going back easily had become a conflict. Though he always knew, the true reality of the past catching up with the present and biting down hard was starting to burn.

Megaman looked up worriedly as he saw water droplets falling on the PET. "Lan, is it raining?"

"Lan...?"

He sniffed and tried to wipe his tears away, but they kept on coming. He knew exactly why his fingers had numbly dialed Chaud's number on their own. He had wanted some kind of solace. He needed a friend.He wanted to go _ home_, as childish as that notion was.

Megaman merely let Lan cry, writing it off as rain-for both their sakes. Exhausted, he sat quietly in the PET, watching what appeared to be rain. It was times like this Megaman disliked his limited existence. There was only so much comfort pixels in an electronic device could give.

* * *

Chaud had arrived in Electopia. The place had developed even larger than he had last remembered it. It was nothing like the town of his and Lan's youth, but now it was more like an enormous city. Of course, pushed far off were the old silent neighborhoods, but that was the unique feature of this particular suburbia; the urban and rural areas were strictly seperated. 

Taking out his PET, Chaud half-smiled at Protoman. "All right, Proto...tell me where to go."

* * *

**Short, I know. Lol. -BIG sweatdrop- I need to step on that gas pedal! (And believe me, you guys are not the only disappointed ones...unless I'm flattering myself...probably. So that means that I'm the only totally disappointed one on how slowly I'm plugging away! Gragh!**

-SaiKenYuu


	11. Matters of the Heart

Author's Note: We are officially...? Two-sixths of the way through this fic! LMAO! (Every four chapters marks another sixth...) so yeah. We've still got a ways to go...-sweatdrop- But this is a new chapter for you all to feast on! (Btw, if you readers have questions, ask them. I may have already planned for them to be in the fic, but it doesn't hurt to consider other options for this fic to turn, ya?)

**I would really appreciate feedback and reviews.** Be as harsh or as gentle as you'd like. Flames are also acceptable as long as they are constructive and have some kind of basis and truth to them.

Disclaimer: In prologue!

Fic Note: A _MILLION_ thank you's to...!

**Grandmasterp**- We've IMed several times and I've enjoyed it, not to mention you've been there from the very beginning. This wasn't updated as quickly as it should have, but hopefully it's better quality than you expected!

**RandomRathFan**- I know, I know! But it really shouldn't take this long.

**Comtess**- (LOL) I talk to you so much, I really have nothing to say here!

**Rose Kitsune.EXE**- Aww... (cries a flood) I was the only one?

**Shadow**- Thanks so much! Actually, I decided to pull out some music to definetly attempt to inspire myself...which reminds me! **I've updated my profile, people! So check it out if you wanna see why I'm such a crazy...uh...person.**

**Nakarame-Scarlet**- Oooh! New reviewer! -BIG smile- (-BIG SWEATDROP!- Don't worry my constantly returning support! I'm not sick of you guys!) Anyway..thank you for your review, I hope you'll return to see this fic finish itself off!

**Oh! And a question for you all! I'll ask at the end of the fic, when you finish reading. If reviewers could respond to that please? It would be very helpful in shaping the rest of the fic, because I'm at such a split decision. **I want to do both...but obviously only one path can be taken! Please let me know if you have the time!

**Matters of the Heart**

_He didn't realize how simple it would be to just relax; not until this moment._

"Lan..."

He shivered from the cold. Lan stared blankly at Chaud, unsure what would be considered an appropriate action. It didn't matter in the end, for Chaud closed the gap between them and pulled Lan in for a tight embrace. The brunette remained limp in Chaud's arms; he had no energy to return Chaud's eagerness.

Not caring that Lan was not responding to him, Chaud firmly wrapped an arm around Lan's waist while his other hand rested in Lan's hair. They stood like that silently for a while.

Finally, Lan broke the silence. "Chaud?"

"Yes," the other boy responded without much enthusiasm, only because he was quite tired and this moment seemed to be just another wishful dream.

"I'm tired, Chaud..."

"I know."

"I want to go home..."

Chaud's grip tightened on Lan slightly, giving the brunette a supportive squeeze. "That's great, Lan."

"I'm scared..."

"It's okay. You can stay with me for a while. We can go back together when you feel rested."

"Okay...I'd like that."

They fell silent again. Chaud felt an extreme relief wash over him. For now, the brunt of the storm seemed to have passed over them. They were finally making progress. While they stood, a strange feeling tugged at Chaud's heart, a feeling that made him want to do something more to Lan to show him how happy he was that Lan had returned; however, nothing Chaud could think of seemed appropriate for the occasion.

Although comfortable himself, Lan had a final question to ask, "Are you angry...?"

Chaud quirked a half-smile, "Furious."

This brought pain but also some closure. He didn't know what he would have said or done if Chaud had forgiven him entirely. Lan brought his face down to Chaud's chest and began to sob softly. "I'm sorry..." he whispered over and over again.

Chaud held Lan delicately, as if he were made of some fragile material. He caressed Lan's backside gently until the tears subsided. "Don't ever leave me again..." Chaud whispered into Lan's ear.

Finally, Lan brought his arms up and returned Chaud's embrace. They remained that way for a long time.

* * *

Almost four full days passed since Lan had come to stay with Chaud. Though Chaud never pressed the issue of Lan going home, the boy felt obligated to his old friend. From the minute Chaud had accepted him, he had ignored all work. This included returning calls to the office, meetings, and even paperwork, a task Lan remembered quite clearly from their early days that Chaud loathed immensely. Instead, for the past four days, Chaud had watched over him constantly- he brought food, attempted to entertain Lan at the cost of his dignity, and on several occassions fell asleep at Lan's bedside while talking to him, not from lack of ettiquette, but from exhaustion. Though Lan felt appreciative of Chaud's concern, with each passing day he felt more pressure to leave. Though he had to admit, some unseen force seemed to be keeping him from leaving. He was getting used to it here.

* * *

Lan had finally fallen asleep again. Chaud decided to take a break and walk outside with Protoman. Stepping out into the beautiful garden whom his gardeners dutifully attended to, Chaud wondered why he had never quite taken his time to enjoy his surroundings.

"Chaud."

The owner of the name snapped out of his daze and looked down at his PET. They were alone so formalities didn't quite matter. "Yes, Protoman?"

"You have worked so hard to get to this point...and yet you're not sending Lan home. Why is that?"

"..."

"He should be getting to his parents soon, don't you think?"

"Chaud?"

"...I don't know, Protoman."

"What?"

Chaud sighed, "What I mean is...I don't know why I can't let go of him. So stupid, I know..."

"Hm. I see. I guess it's understandable."

Chaud felt his face grow hot, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Protoman rolled his eyes, "I meant no foul. I'm just stating from fact. You've always liked him around."

Chaud half-smiled, "Yeah..."

"However, I don't see that as a strong enough reason to keep him around here."

"I know!" Chaud responded with frustration, "It's just turning out that way! One day turned into two days...two into four..."

"And today is the fifth, Chaud. That's a problem. His parents are probably quite worried and yet you still keep him here."

"..."

"Chaud, listen to me. From the way I see it, Lan is no longer going anywhere. He will most likely be as accessible to you as he was in the past. He will come over to your house and you will visit his. You both seem to be inseparable, so don't worry."

Chaud felt himself flush slightly and averted his gaze from the PET, "I know, Protoman...you don't have to lecture me."

"If you know, then I don't understand why you are making this so difficult," Protoman responded with exasperation.

"I don't really understand it myself, to be honest. I mean, it should be so simple, right? Taking him home is only a matter of getting a limo and driving him there...I'm sure he's more than ready to go by now..."

"But...?"

"I worry, Protoman. If I let him go, even though he'll only be several miles away...agh, I can't explain..."

"Try."

"When he's not around, I feel an emptiness. The moment he stepped into my life all those years ago when we were still stupid kids, he changed my life, Protoman. He allowed me to step into a world of endless curiosities."

"Yes...but he will always be there," Protoman sighed, he wasn't understanding his master at all.

"It's not the same. Right now, he's physically here. I can be there for him, protect him...if he's somewhere else, I can't be there for him right away. Until they create some kind of teleportation device or something and I can get ESP to sense him when he is in danger...if I lose him again, I'll fall apart, Protoman."

"I see."

"What?"

"Forgive me, I failed to notice this before."

"Eh?"

"You're in love," his net-navi stated matter-of-factly.

Chaud felt frozen to the spot with a mix of embarassment and annoyance at his navi's accuracy. "Y-you're crazy."

"Am I...?"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Okay...the "million dollar question." Would you all like a sad ending, or a happy ending? I'm leaning more towards one of them...but I won't bias your opinions! Haha! So...let me know please!**

**-Saikenyuu**


	12. Sweet Strain

Author's Note: This chapter is kinda why I had it titled SS. (And also because it's kind of weird to title a fic Sweet Strain and never quite explain what I had in mind with the concept in the first place anyways, lol.)

Anyway, I really REALLY hope I can finish this before the summer because...yes...Saikenyuu might be going on MAJOR writing hiatus NOT FROM CHOICE! But Saikenyuu is actually...going through two major surgeries in the summer...so I'll probably be bedridden the whole time. -Sighs-

**I would really appreciate feedback and reviews.** Be as harsh or as gentle as you'd like. Flames are also acceptable as long as they are constructive and have some kind of basis and truth to them.

Disclaimer: In prologue!

Warnings: Fluffiness and be prepared to kill Saikenyuu for being so evil! Haha!

Fic Note: **RandomRathFan- **As always, thank you SO much! I can always count on ya for a nice boost! You were the first to review this chapter, that made me smile.

**Nakarame-Scarlet- **! Welcome back! -Smiles more- Hope you see this through the end!

**Rose Kitsune.EXE- **I can ALWAYS count on you for funny, constructive (where you tell me what you liked or didn't like), and just plain energetic reviews! TRULY refreshing!

**DarkloidBlues- **Haha, it's always wonderful to have a new reviewer join the family! And I did notice your presence, since you signed up for the alert. -Winks- You were the very third on my list to provide interest! Thanks so much for your review!

**Grandmasterp- **My dutiful reviewer! Thank you so much!

**Shadow of the Phantom-** Another new reviewer! Haha, another vote for happy, huh? We'll see what I can do! -winks- Though..I can't guarantee the fic'll be finished in a week...now THAT will be a challenge...! LOL!

**AND TO ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS FIC AND ALL REVIEWERS! **Thanks a whole bunch period! Oh yeah, and another question...LOL. Two questions, actually. Any of you remember Farel from a couple chapters ago or something? He's returning soon but...anyone want him to play a little bit more in the fic? I was slightly considering writing him out, but I could go either way, once again. Another thing I could go either way on. Mega and Proto's relationship can be totally platonic or it could..._move _a certain way? If you guys favor that one, I have something in mind for that. Anyways, **especially to my reviewers** your reviews always make me smile why? Because almost every single one of you write something that hints you actually read the entire intro I have up here all the time. LOL! Thanks. At least I know I'm being heard. (I try not to put junk up here like some writers do, ya?)

One last thing before I let you all go. **I don't know when, but I'm going to start posting original** shonenai and original het and whatever else there is on under the same exact screenname. I hope you all are interested in reading?

(These are getting so long...I need to start separating them from the title! LOL.)

Okay...ONWARD TO THE FICTION!

* * *

**Sweet Strain**

"Chaud, let me help you!"

"It's fine..." Chaud grunted as he put the last of Lan's things in the limo's trunk.

With one final push, Chaud forced the trunk closed. He sighed, turned to Lan, and smiled. Lan gave a small smile back.

"You didn't have to buy me so much, you know."

"Hm. I know."

"...So. I guess this is bye?"

"For now."

"Yeah..."

Chaud helped Lan into the car and shut the door as soon as the other boy seemed settled. Lan looked at him through the window. Chaud found himself unable to release the door handle. They remained that way until the chauffeur decided to finally start the car. Reluctantly, Chaud took a step back and clasped his hands behind his back, watching the limousine leave the vicinity. His eyes never left the car until it made its turn around the corner, where the wall would block his vision.

Lan closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax against the leather. A trickle of the lover's melody from the day before filled his dreams, as well as the memories that went along with it.

* * *

_Chaud had finally started on the paperwork he had been neglecting, now a disgusting mass of white, blue, yellow, pink and whatever other colors office papers came in. Lan could have sworn he saw every single primary color and every Crayola color ever invented in the pile. Lan had tried to creep by the office to find the bathroom, but had stopped, captivated by the state of the room. Chaud, sensing his presence had turned around and smiled sheepishly at him._

"Need something?"

"Ah...yeah...looking for a bathroom...?"

Chaud chuckled, "I'll help you out."

Lan gave a small smile, "Thanks."

_Chaud had been grateful for the distraction. It would probably take him another century to finish the paperwork at his current working rate. _

Lan stepped out of the bathroom and almost ran back in when he saw that Chaud had been waiting for him. He hadn't expected the other boy to be there; his heart pounded quickly from the unexpected shock. Chaud took Lan gently by the arm to keep him from retreating. "Hey..."

"Y-yeah...?"

"Want to...want to go for a walk?"

Lan blinked. The idea seemed completely random, but he concluded that Chaud probably just wanted to avoid returning to the bulk of papers piled up in his office. Lan shivered at the memory, he had to respect Chaud for that, he personally would never be able to keep up with an office job.

Lan grinned, "Sounds like a plan."

"Good," Chaud pushed off the wall, "I'll take you back to your room. You get changed and wait there, I'm going to get dressed and tell my driver to get ready."

"Okay."

_It was different from most outings Lan had ever been on and quite different from any outing Lan had gone on with Chaud or any of his other friends in the past. Chaud had insisted that they buy new clothes for Lan, something that fit and didn't seem so worn or out of date. It was awkward at first, two teenage boys of two very obvious and different financial statuses clothe shopping, of all activities. _

_All the while, though Lan was enjoying himself, he felt a slight tug of unsettling curiosity because he couldn't quite understand why it seemed like the people around them were whispering softly and staring at them. It was as if there was something strange or wrong about what they were doing._

"How does this look?" Lan asked as he stepped out of the fitting room.

"Perfect."

Lan put his hands on his hips and gave a half-hearted glare and whined, "Of _course _you would! This is definetly your style of clothing!"

Chaud tried his best not to laugh. "It's better than the garbage you like wearing," Chaud said, eyes twinkling with amusement.

"But it's so..._plain_," Lan sighed.

Chaud had to agree. Although Lan looked great in what he was wearing; which was a black beret, white turtleneck, gold chain necklace, and a pair of blue ripped jeans, it was probably a bit too much style for Lan. Part of him wanted to see Lan's wild and carefree look once more.

"All right then, _you _pick something out."

"Hah! I will!" Lan grinned and took off for items he had found appealing on the rack.

Chaud ended up buying several bandannas, a rack of sweat headbands, biker gloves, and mostly biker-style clothing. He had to smile at Lan's lack of fashion sense.

"I'll help you carry some...!"

"That's okay, Lan...we'll just put these in the limo."

"Okay..." Lan waited as Chaud disappeared inside the limousine for a moment and dumped all the shopping bags onto one of the seats before coming back out.

Chaud took a brief glance at his watch. "Looks like it's noon. You hungry?"

Lan shook his head, "Nope!"

"All right, guess we should just walk around a while then, eh? Enjoy ourselves?"

Lan smiled, "Sounds good."

_Chaud had taken the time to show Lan around the area. For the the first time in a long time, Lan noticed how much they both had changed. Even Chaud seemed happier, though he never realized that perhaps he was the reason for Chaud's good mood._

"Hey Chaud...?"

"Hm?"

"I was thinking...why this sudden sightseeing and shopping spree? I mean, I really like it and everything but..."

"Your parents are waiting for you. They've been waiting a long time."

Silence fell between the two of them. Lan felt a massive wave of reluctance and disappointment. He had gotten so used to being with Chaud day after day.

"You're tired of me?" Lan realized this was a stupid question, but something compelled him to ask.

Chaud blushed slightly and his eyes grew wide, "No, no! Why would you think that...?"

"Oh!" Lan flushed as well, just as embarrassed, "I'm sorry...I don't know why I asked that."

The slightly taller boy turned and gripped the brunette gently by the shoulders, "Don't ever let yourself believe that as the reason for one second."

Lan nodded quickly, unsure of how else to react to Chaud's sudden outburst.

_Time seemed to have stopped just then. Both boys stood there, staring into each other's eyes, neither registering the awkwardness of the situation immediately. _

Lan's stomach grumbled, breaking the silence. Chaud broke away and smiled sheepishly at Lan. "Hey...guess you're hungry, huh?"

Lan laughed embarrassedly, "Whoops! I guess so!"

"Aw, Lan...you haven't changed much at all!"

"Yeah, I guess not!" Lan grinned.

Chaud smiled and tilted his head towards the direction of where they had left the limousine. "Alright, let's go. I know the perfect place."

_He had taken Lan to an exquisite restaurant, much to Lan's surprise. He had forgotten how much influence Chaud owned. _

_This was Lan's strongest memory of the day. Chaud had taken him to the top level of the restaurant which had the view of the entire area. Lan was captivated by the sight the moment he stepped out of the glass elevator._

_It was breathtaking. The dull noise of cars going from place to place, the lively chatter of the other rich couples on the roof, the ashy city air, the cool breeze brushing against their faces, and the stars peeking through the clouds stimulated all Lan's senses, making him feel as if he had never seen any of this before. _

"What do you think?" Chaud whispered behind him, as if trying to keep Lan in his tranced state.

"What do I think...?" Lan chuckled softly, "Chaud! I can't _even think! _This is amazing!"

Chaud smiled, "I'm glad you think so. Come on, let's get seated."

Lan blinked, "Huh? Where?"

The taller boy stifled a laugh as he turned Lan's body in the direction of the empty table in the center, "Right there!"

"Haha! Oh! Right!"

Chaud rolled his eyes. The two of them seated themselves. The waiter that had escorted them presented two menus and waited patiently for their orders. Lan excitedly went through the menu, the day's events had placed him on quite the adrenaline rush. Chaud pretended to look through his menu while watching Lan with a small smile on his face. He was glad to see the younger boy happy.

"Chaud, you're not ordering anything?"

"Hm!" Chaud blushed and almost dropped his menu, "What?"

Lan looked at him confusedly, "You're not ordering?"

"You've finished?"

"Yeah! I picked a _long _time ago. The waiter asked what you wanted, but you seemed busy staring at the menu and didn't say anything."

"Ah," Chaud grimaced, "Sorry."

Lan laughed, "You don't have to apologize to me!"

Chaud wanted to disappear for the moment. He turned to the waiter and half-smiled, "Forgive the delay. I'll have the house salad for now, please."

"Of course, sir," the waiter replied, taking the menus and going back towards the elevator.

Chaud sighed and slid down his chair slightly. Lan laughed at him, "You look uncomfortable."

Chaud shook his head, "No...no, I'm fine."

"If you say so!" came the taunting reply.

Before Chaud could think of anything to retort, both became distracted by a couple on the far end of the roof. The young man had called for everyone's attention and announced his proposal to the beautiful young woman beside him. Lan and Chaud both clapped along with everyone else, congratulating the young couple. As a surprise for the young woman, the man had hired a troupe of instrumentalists to perform a song.

_The violinist began his solo. The rest of the evening seemed to go by slowly. Lan and Chaud had both been captivated by the soft melody. Both boys hardly noticed their food arrive, though somehow they both managed to finish it. They were left in a daze for the rest of the night, leaving long after closing hours. Since Chaud owned this chain, they took their time leaving the building._

_The last moments they shared while taking the long drive back to Chaud's mansion was a peaceful one. Lan couldn't remember another time where he had felt so peaceful. He remembered little of what happened afterward, but he barely registered Chaud gently lifting him from his seat and taking him to bed. He also barely remembered something brushing over his forehead, but that minute detail tucked far into the back of his mind, unimportant._

_The next morning he had found Chaud waiting for him at the banquet hall. Lan was fed one last meal before Chaud told him it was time to go home. The announcement caused Lan to feel a mix of happiness and sadness at the same time. They both knew it was for the best._

* * *

Lan snapped out of his daze. He took a look around and realized he was about three traffic lights away from home. He had officially left the more developed part of Electopia and was heading towards the isolated rural side. It was like rewinding back to the past.

Leaving this peaceful mindset, Lan found himself getting distracted by the live transmission on the limousine's television. The Trojan trials had ended.

The sentences were being given.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**It's not too late to get your votes in for how this fic'll end! So far 1 sad, 4 happy. (And Grandmasterp decided to be rebellious and never give an opinion. HAHAHA!) I could still go either way! I will ask one last time in chapter 21. I have in mind who voted what. If you guys change your mind later, feel free to recast your vote! However, if you don't say anything in that same review, then you will be marked for what you voted last chapter! **

**Can't wait to see where this goes! (Hope I finish in time...! -BIG sweatdrop-)**

**-Saikenyuu**


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